


This Could Be My Greatest Mistake

by annewithane



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Smut, bff louis and eleanor, grease is in there a bit, nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:48:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8637562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annewithane/pseuds/annewithane
Summary: “Okay,” she looks up at the board to find what else they need to know, “something interesting. Interest me,” she smirks, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. Harry sometimes doesn’t think before she talks, usually around pretty girls, and this is one of those times. “The first time I had sex was while watching Romeo and Juliet.”Louis opens her mouth in surprise, her chin falling off of her hands before she steadies her position. “No it wasn’t. The one with Leo?”“The one with Leo.” Harry nods. Own it, she tells herself.“An aquarius thing to do.” Louis shakes her head, opening her laptop on the table.University AU where it doesn’t take Harry very long to fall in love with Louis but it does take her a long time to tell Louis that.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlmadeofstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlmadeofstars/gifts).



> Prompt: University AU, cis!Girl Direction. Harry is an English Major and president of the LGBTQ society. In her second year, she decides she wants to put on an all female production of Grease. Enter Louis, auditioning Danielle Zuko.

There’s a week until term starts and Harry’s already fucking exhausted, with unpacking and setting up the pride centre and organizing the voice lessons she teaches on Saturdays. Liam, her new but definitely not improved flatmate, is no help since it’s her last year and she’s done nothing but yell at Harry for the mess that is their flat ever since Harry drove up a couple days ago. 

Harry met Liam through Gemma during her first year. Liam roomed with one of Gemma’s friends and since said friend graduated along with Gemma, who Harry previously shared a flat with, it was a no brainer to call Liam up to find a flat. A no brainer, yet however, a terrible decision. Harry sets one box on the kitchen table and Liam is there ready to set it on fire. 

In conclusion, Liam is an annoying puppy that Harry loves but is annoyed by and that is why Harry is currently en route to the cafe a few blocks away from her flat. Citizen, she thinks it’s called. She forced herself to leave all stress and bad energy at home. With Liam... Including Liam. And is committed to do something at least somewhat relaxing.

She’s been here only once before, only right before she left in April to go home for the summer when she first found the place with Gemma after her graduation. They spent all afternoon here, happy that Gemma got her degree but sad she'd be leaving. She’s now off in London, writing for some fancy magazine and Harry misses her everyday. 

Harry has also missed the cafe’s Mexican hot chocolate cookies ever since she first came here.

The shop is still quiet with the early hour and the week until term starts and then the uni students take over this entire part of the city. Harry silently prays the seat by the window is still empty by the time she gets her drink.

Harry recognizes the ABBA song playing in the background immediately when she opens the door and smiles at the girl behind the counter humming and dancing along. 

She has blush coloured hair that’s swinging around, brushing her neck with her movement. She’s wearing a dark green long sleeve shirt with a mock neck tucked into a short leather skirt. She turns on her heels at the sound of the door. “Morning!” She smiles, crinkling her eyes. Her lips are pink too, multiple shades darker than her hair. “Hi there, alright?” 

“Hi, I’m good, yeah, you?” Harry taps her fingers against the counter, keeping her eyes fixed on the girl in front of her.

“Fine, what can I get you?” She asks, still moving her shoulders with the song.

“Could I grab a sixteen ounce caramel mocha with coconut milk and pumpkin syrup? Please. And then also one of those Mexican hot chocolate cookies as well.” She points to the general direction of them in the case out front.

The barista immediately scrunches her eyebrows together before quickly fixing them in place and raising them slightly. “Okay,” she laughs, typing away on her till.

“It’s good,” Harry defends. Gemma might think it has an acquired taste but Gemma also drinks black coffee.

“I’m sure it is, is that all? Want some water and soap to wash your taste buds after?” She smirks, not making eye contact with Harry.

Harry snorts. “That’s all.” 

She hands Harry the debit machine while grabbing the cookie from the case. She hands Harry a plate with two cookies and when Harry looks back up she’s holding a single finger on her mouth. “Thanks,” Harry maybe blushes, pushing her hair out of her face.

She grins at Harry’s reaction. “I’ll bring you out your drink,” she says turning to grab Harry a cup.

“Thanks.” Harry decides against the window seat and grabs the table across from the till, taking her book out of her bag and finding the page she left off at. She plays with her rings while skimming the page for her spot.  

She only gets through a page before the barista comes by her table a few minutes later with a smirk and Harry's drink in her hand. “Here is whatever this is that you made me make.” 

Harry reaches for the drink, breathing out on a laugh. “Thank you.” Harry takes a long sip while the barista looks at her as if she’s waiting for Harry to spit it out. “It's great, thanks.” 

“I'm sure.” She nods with both her palms resting on top of Harry’s table. The sides of her lips keeping twitching up. “You’re an aquarius?” She nod at Harry’s wrist tattoos.

“Yeah.” Harry laughs down at her hand. That was Gemma’s idea and her doing. Harry lifts her lips in a smirk, facing the barista again. “Are you a gemini?” 

The girl opens her mouth in surprise. “No, you bitch. A capricorn.” She smiles sweetly, backing off behind the counter still with her eyes locked on Harry’s.

“Hm, that was my next guess.”

Louis grabs her cloth and comes back next to Harry to start wiping down the table next to hers. “Yeah, yeah, you’re funny.” 

“Is that a cat on your arm?” Harry looks down at the tattoo on the inside of her upper arm. 

She follows Harry’s gaze down to her arm, her eyes softening. “It is, yeah. My, uh, sister thinks of herself as quite the artist. She kept drawing pictures of me saying I should get them tattooed on my body, I thought that was a bit much,” she laughs, “but one day I came home and this drawing of this cat was on the fridge and mum told me my sister drew at school that day and yeah, got it done the next day,” she shrugs with a subtle blush, peering up at Harry. 

“That’s really sweet.” The tattoo is of a small black and white cat with small green eyes, it reminds Harry of Gemma’s devil cat but looking slightly less menacing. 

“Yeah, my sister thought so, she was, yeah, she was really happy when I showed her.” She nods, looking down at the tattoo again.

Harry’s eyes follows the ding of the entrance being opened where a crowd of people walk in, making too much noise. 

The girl puts her hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your drink there,” she laughs walking off. 

Harry takes out her journal and flips to the next blank page. 

_ I found my soulmate. She has pink hair and a tattoo of a cat on her arm. _

*

Harry walks into her second class already excited and already a little bored. The professor is Harry’s favourite. She had her last year and she’s read at least half of the plays in the course, so at least she’ll only have to refresh her memory and skim them over. She finds a seat at the back of the class, taking out her journal after a look at her phone. Fifteen minutes.

She can already feel the buzz of happiness to be back on campus mixing in with the nerves of getting through courses. She has a mildly fine enough term and nothing is worrying her yet. Her first class was a sci-fi and fantasy english class. She hasn’t read the majority of the books on the course list, mostly because it's not her favourite genre but she's excited nonetheless. Expand your horizon and all that.

Fifteen minutes pass quickly enough and Emily, the prof, briefly introduces the course.

“This is English 328. On Shakespeare's comedies. Hopefully you’re all in the right classroom.” She briefly introduces herself and Harry knows she’s going to make everyone introduce each other next. “Okay, now I want everyone to partner up and then you’ll introduce your partner to the class. Name and major and why you decided to take this class and whatever else you find interesting.”

Harry’s in the back, by herself. 

She looks around hoping someone will come to her before she gets startled by the chair beside her scraping across the ground. “You,” she hears.

It’s the girl from the coffee shop, with the pink hair. Harry’s soulmate. “You.” She sits down next to Harry, bumping her shoulder as she settles in. She’s got her hair in a short pony, taking the majority of her hair off her face, framing her smirk. Her hair almost matches her oversized soft pale pink sweater that extends over a blue floral skirt and matching blue over the knee socks.

“Louis.” She holds out her hand, while crossing her legs under the table, apologizing when her trainers graze Harry’s leg.

Her soulmate's name is Louis.

“Harry.” They both shuffle in their seats to face each other and Harry grabs her bag off the table to place on the chair beside her.

“Harry. Hi.” She smiles. “So, why are you taking this beautiful class?”

“I’m an english major, it’s required,” she shrugs. “You?”

“I’m a drama major, it’s required.” That’s a good major, Harry decides. “Okay,” she looks up at the board to find what else they need to know, “something interesting. Interest me,” she smirks, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. 

Harry sometimes doesn’t think before she talks, usually around pretty girls, and this is one of those times. “The first time I had sex was while watching Romeo and Juliet.”

Louis opens her mouth in surprise, her chin falling off of her hands before she steadies her position. “No it wasn’t. The one with Leo?”

“The one with Leo.” Harry nods. Own it, she tells herself.

“An aquarius thing to do.” Louis shakes her head, opening her laptop on the table.

They all share their names and majors with the entire class. Louis tells the class not that she had sex to Romeo and Juliet but that she is an aquarius and likes weird drinks. And Harry shares that Louis has six younger siblings after seeing Louis’ desktop picture and listening to Louis talk about them for the rest of the time Emily gave them to get to know each other. 

Emily dismisses them after that telling them they can get a head start in reading but they won't be looking at any plays next class. Harry promises herself she will get a head start. She’s determined to stay on top of her readings for at least the first week.

She walks out of with Louis. Louis talks more about her sisters and her brother and how she gets to facetime with them all tonight. Harry doesn’t say much, content to listen to Louis talk animatedly about her family. They part when Harry decides it's time to turn around before she ends up lost on her way home.

She stops herself from skipping home and picks up takeaway for dinner, knowing Liam will be getting out of class around now too.

“Liam!” Harry shouts, shoving the door to their flat closed with her butt. “I bring gifts!” She chucks her converse off her feet before piling them nicely on their shoe rack. Liam said it was a necessity. Harry thought it just got it the way.

“Thank god.” Liam hops off the couch, pushing her laptop away and clearing the table as Harry enters the flat farther.

“How was class today? Meet any cute girls?” Harry sets the food on the table while Liam sets out some cutlery.

Liam sits down at the table, grabbing at the boxes of food, sifting through whats Harry’s and whats Liam’s. They have this down to science since the week they first moved in while they were still unpacking and couldn’t be arsed to get the the store. “If you want to talk about your soulmate, you can just do it.”

Apparently Harry wasn’t subtle enough.

“She’s in my english class.” Harry bounces down in the seat across from Liam, plating her food. She scrunches her eyebrows together. “I think I told her I had sex while Romeo and Juliet was playing,” she blinks a couple of times while taking a bite.

Liam freezes with her fork a few inches from her mouth. “Did you actually do that?”

“Yes, but I didn’t mean to tell Louis that. Her name’s Louis.” Louis had said “interesting” and they were in a Shakespeare class. Harry clearly panicked.

Liam puts her fork down. “What?”

“It’s kind of hot though, right?” Harry ignores her, continuing to shovel forkfuls into her mouth.

“No? Harry, what the fuck?”

“You think she would still have sex with me after hearing that?”

“Is this how you talked to your sister when you lived together?”

Liam’s only good idea ever. Harry ignores her and calls Gemma when she finishes dinner and stocks away left overs for tomorrow. Gemma indulges her, says she never heard Harry this giddy over a girl before. Which is probably because she’s never met her soulmate before.

Gemma also says that a drama major might in fact think having sex to Romeo and Juliet is hot. She’s probably wrong. 

*

It’s Friday. Which means English. Which means Harry gets to see Louis. 

Harry searches for her pink hair first thing entering the classroom. She’s not here yet. Which is fine, except, if she finds a seat first, what if Louis doesn’t pick the seat next to her.

She has to take that chance or stand awkwardly in the middle of the doorway though so she heads toward the back of the classroom again.

“Hi.” A voice she recognizes right away rings next to her immediately.

Harry turns a little too excitedly to see Louis raise her eyebrows amusedly and take the same seat from last class, setting down two to-go cups from Citizen. Harry slides into the seat next to hers. “Hi.” 

“I grabbed you this.” Louis slides over one of the cups in front of Harry. “Just how you like it, which I’m still not sure if it’s a joke or not. But I’ve never even see you even cringe while drinking it, I looked,” she says playfully, “so here.” 

Harry grabs the cups, taking a sip. “Thanks Louis.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Louis downs a long gulp from her own cup. Harry’s certain it must burn a little since her’s is still steaming. “I got the dirtiest look when I ordered it. You must be used to that. Also everyone that works there knows that I would never order that shit.” Louis laughs like it doesn’t bother her at all.

Class starts shortly after. She can see Louis looking over at her expectantly every time she takes a drink. It’s very distracting.

They're only talking about Shakespeare himself and background information on him so Harry's not completely concerned about the fact that Louis seems to need to make a comment after every point in the profs lecture. She is worried, however, about how much Louis is making her laugh every time and she's getting dirty looks from surrounding tables. 

Louis eventually searches up Shakespeare conspiracy theories on her laptop and decides that he was definitely gay.

Thankfully she gets fully immersed in that that Harry can check back into what the prof is saying for the last ten minutes of class.

She packs up slowly, waiting for Louis who is taking her sweet time, without making it too obvious that she is.

Harry takes one of the last sips of her drink as Louis stands. “You’re very convincing.” Louis nods at Harry’s drink, narrowing her eye.

“I like it!” She bumps into Louis’ side before starting to head to the door out.

“Can’t see-” 

“Harry!” Louis’ voice is cut off. Harry turns to see Emily walking toward them. Probably ready to tell Louis off for being so distracting. 

“Hey, Emily.” Harry walks forward meeting her halfway. 

“How’re classes going?”

“So far, good, yeah.”

“So that paper you wrote for creative writing last year, the Grease one. It kind of inspired the musical I’m directing this fall. I want to do Grease with two lead actresses. And I was wondering if you'd want to help out. Tweak the script, help out, especially with the music, you’re still teaching lessons, yeah?” Harry nods. “I could give you some extra credit for this class. You’d be a big help.”

“Seriously?” Harry asks eagerly. Her Grease writing assignment was definitely her favourite from her uni years. 

Emily nods confidently. “Yeah, auditions are in two weeks if you're interested?”

“Yes, yes I am interested.” Gay and music were her two favourite things. Extra credit was a little further down on the list of her favourite things but still on the list.

“Great.” Emily grabs Harry’s arm, looking genuinely relieved. “I’ll e-mail you over the weekend, sort things out. See you.”

Louis is still waiting near the door, smiling with her eyes bright and amused.

“You wrote a gay version of grease?”

Harry bumps her shoulder, starting to walk to the door. “I wrote a scene from grease that was gay.”

Louis jogs to catch up to her. “So since I am drama major, and more importantly, Grease is my favourite movie, I'm definitely auditioning for that. So prepare the speech you'll give to Emily for why i should get the part of Danny.”

*

“Hi. Put your number in my phone, yeah.” Louis throws herself into the seat across from Harry. “So I can bug you about the musical more.” 

She’s at Citizen. In her usual seat across from the till and was bummed when Louis wasn’t here when she got in. Since that was mostly the reason she left home. 

But Louis is here now.

“Okay.” Harry grabs her phone, probably too quickly. Harry had stayed up late a couple nights ago whining to Liam about what would be the best way to ask for Louis’ phone number. She’ll tell Liam she finally plucked up the courage to ask her for it instead of telling her they stayed up on the couch until two for no reason. 

Harry hands Louis’ phone back to her after looking over her number.

“I’m putting your name as the coffee cup emoji next to the sick emoji next to the aquarius emoji.” Louis smiles down at her phone after Harry’s handed it back to her, typing in her new contact name, apparently very amused and satisfied with it.

Harry tries to stifle her laugh, taking out her phone after Louis sends her a message with the same emojis as her contact name. Harry puts Louis’ name as the middle finger emoji, before turning her phone around to proudly show Louis.

Louis breathes out, flipping Harry off. “I still win,” she declares, sticking her phone away. “Do you mind if I sit down and you can tell me what  _ A Midsummer Night’s Dream _ is about?” Louis smiles too wide at Harry, fluttering her eyelashes. 

“I’m working on something else.” Harry reaches into her bag. “Here.” She hands her the play. She promised herself that she would finish the pride centre’s schedule and then skim  _ A Midsummer Night’s Dream _ . Now that Louis is here, she probably won’t get even half of that done.

Not that she’ll mind.

“You lost the test,” Louis shakes her head, “I played Hermia in high school, I know the play.”

Harry doesn’t look up from her laptop. “The entire play? Or Hermia’s story line?”

“Fuck off.” Louis smiles, opening the book.

Louis only lasts another ten minutes of silence.

*

Louis texts Harry every morning since getting her number. Enough for Harry to regret giving her her number if Harry wasn’t so in love with her. She send her links to an endless amount of youtube videos of people embarrassingly falling and says that they are all Harry. 

Harry sends her gifs of kittens and puppies because that's all she has in her phone. 

One time Louis sent her a selfie of her and her youngest siblings and Harry still has it. She always thinks of it after getting annoying texts from Louis.

Especially when Louis texts her during class, sending her random facts she’s learned, sometimes from her profs but mostly from her googling them while her profs go on about something completely unrelated.

For every twenty terribly timed message, she gets a single perfectly timed and perfectly thought out message, whether it’s a ‘goodnight’ or ‘good morning’ or ‘I saw this and I thought of you’ and they balance everything out.

*

“How many times have you been here this week?” Niall asks, following Harry into Citizen. Niall knows Liam from some class they were in together in first year and introduced her to Harry only a couple weeks into the year. That explains why she is so annoying. Both her and Liam get on her nerves about how much coffee she’s been drinking lately. Which, she stands by, is not an unreasonable amount.

“That’s not important.” Harry immediately searches behind the counter.

It’s not Louis. Minor draw back. 

“Hi, what can I get you two?” The not-Louis barista asks once they approach the counter. She is about Louis’ height with similar coloured hair, so that’s something. Her hair is longer than Louis’ though and it falls over her T-shirt with Boys Don’t Cry lyrics on it.   

They order and the girl only gives Harry a quick look at her order. Harry pays and leads Niall to her table before taking a seat. Niall tries to tell her about some girl she went to see some movie with the other night while they pull out their books. It’s not a minute later that Louis walks in with another girl following her close behind. Harry sits up a little straighter.

“Eleanor! I signed you up for your audition and got your script, you’re welcome.” She floats in, flapping a bunch of papers in her hands at the girl behind the till. “Harry!” She twirls over to Harry’s table, papers still flying about. “Hi! Hi, how are you? Did you get your disgusting drink? Everything Eleanor makes is disgusting but I’m sure yours is extra disgusting.”

“Shut the fuck up, here’s your drinks.” The not-Louis barista, Eleanor, sets their drinks out in front of them. She did a faster job than when Louis makes her drink and she’ll have to bug Louis about that later. “Hi, love.” Eleanor turns to press her lips against the girl that came in with Louis.

“Soph, Els, this is Harry.” Louis smiles proudly.

“The girl who's going to get us the leads in the play?” Louis nods. “Was thinking that. I didn’t think anyone else would buy anything quite that creative.” She gestures toward Harry’s drink. “Louis talks about your drink at least once a day.”

Louis wraps her hand around Eleanor’s head, covering her mouth. “This is Eleanor, we don’t like her,” Eleanor elbows out of Louis’ grip, “and this is Sophia. She’s better but how good can someone be when they're dating this one.” She nods to Eleanor. “Unfortunately we all live together.”

“Hi.” Harry waves a little flustered. Louis talks about her. “Nice to meet you two. This is Niall.”

“Hi, Niall,” Louis turns to greet her. “Mind if we join you? Shift doesn’t start for another half hour.”

“Go for it.” Niall opens her palm to the empty seats while Harry nods excitedly.

Louis grabs the seat across from Harry and grabs a piece of Harry's cookie. “Niall, you single?”

“Yeah,” Niall shrugs. 

Louis turns to Sophia, who’s pulling out the last empty chair, with a sympathetic smile. “Oh. Soph, sorry. You can’t sit with us single kids.” She pats her on the shoulder once before picking at Harry’s cookie some more.

“How do you know I’m single?” Harry pouts, batting Louis’ hand away. 

Louis grabs Harry’s hand and takes another piece with her free hand, chewing obnoxiously. “Are you?” Louis looks at Harry, raising her eyebrows as she swallows.

“Yes.”

Louis smiles. “Okay.”

They don’t break eye contact for a beat. Then Louis snatches another piece of cookie.

“Eleanor, we’re breaking up for an hour,” Sophia turns her upper body around to the till.

Eleanor doesn’t look up. She simply sticks her thumb up while continuing on with whatever drink she’s making. “Was going to dump you soon anyway.”

Sophia smiles, smug and fond, sitting down next to Louis.

Harry can’t help the smile taking over her face. “How long have you two been together?”

“Just over four years,” Sophia replies, with a soft smile.

Louis finishes Harry cookie while Sophia dives into how Eleanor and her met in college. Louis eventually starts her shift and Sophia heads off with Eleanor after saying they should hang out again. Harry finally pulls open her books to get something done and Louis comes by and sets down another cookie for her.

*

Harry’s bouncing in her seat, she’s never been on this side of the table before. 

It’s the first day of auditions. She knows Louis is first. She skimmed the list for Louis’ name first thing, not having to look for long.

She also saw Louis outside already going through her monologue with Eleanor just outside the room. She winked at Harry before slipping Harry a folded note. Harry already knew it would be some kind of bribe to get Louis the part she wanted before she opened it.

_ Unlimited cookies if I get Danielle. _

Was all it said. Considering Louis doesn’t have the kind of authority and that would probably not be great for her health, Harry only smiles before tucking it into her back pocket. 

Emily runs her through the process quickly, telling her she can write down any little notes about whose voice she thinks will fit a certain character.

Harry watched Grease last night, making sure it will be fresh in her head and texting Louis the entire time. Eventually Louis called her and started singing along, determined to show Harry she had the entire musical memorized. Harry didn’t really pay attention to the part that she did in fact seem to know the musical inside out. Harry was too focused on her soft smooth voice that rang through her phone’s speaker. 

Louis comes into the room smiling, looking entirely confident besides the fact that her feet keep tapping the ground. She does her monologue first and then she sings. She goes full out, loud and more energized than how she sounded on the phone. It’s still soft and breathy but with her full volume it’s powerful and thick with emotion of the song. She is amazing and Harry’s face aches by the time she finishes from her wide smile. Louis’ eyes flick to Harry with a pursed smile, threatening to open wide. 

She does a dramatic bow before walking off with a final wink at Harry.

“Thanks Louis.” Emily says, turning to Harry. “I always pictured her for Danielle. What do you think?”

Yes. Yes. “Uh yeah, she would definitely do. She’s amazing,” Harry urges, blinking in her seat.

She sits through another two hours of these and even if she wasn’t ready to marry Louis tomorrow, she’s definitely one of the best she’s seen.

Eleanor does an amazing job too. Her voice is deep and husky. Emily really likes her and Harry's almost certain she’ll get the roll of Sandy just fine without Harry's help.

She stays with Emily for a while after that, going through notes and comparing ideas for the leads. They seem to agree for the most part but Harry knows the final decision is up to Emily.

She eventually gives Emily her notes when they are done for the day and heads off to Citizen. Louis said to meet her there when she was finished with auditions for the day and Harry walks quickly to keep her from waiting any longer.

“Hi, little Hazza.” Louis is already ringing in Harry’s drink order through by the time Harry reaches her at the till. She’s in the same velvet jumper as she was during the audition, now with a denim bomber over top of it.

“Hi, Lou,” Harry smiles, bouncing on her spot as she leans over the counter. “Good job today. Emily really likes you.” Nearly gave her the role on the spot.

“Course she does,” Louis says but she smiles bashfully while saying it with a hint of a flush. “Yeah, what did you think? You gonna give me the part?”

“I don’t get to decide. But I did put in a good word for you.” Harry grabs the debit machine from Louis.

“Course you did. I’m not working today, made an appearance behind here just for you so I’ll grab you your drink and meet you at a table, yeah?”

Harry nods and grabs her usual table. She takes out her laptop, checking on her to do list and going through her schedule in her head. She’s mostly caught up after staying up late last night knowing she would be busy today with auditions.

“Here is this mess,” Louis comes by minutes later and hands Harry her drink and setting her own down. She takes the seat across from Harry and rests her elbows up on the table, raising her eyebrows expectantly at Harry. 

“You know you want to try it.” Harry swivels the drink closer to Louis.

“I really don’t,” Louis scoffs, holding her hands up and leaning back as if to get as far away from the drink as possible.

“I’ll try yours-”

“Mine is excellent, that’s not fair,” Louis objects. “But I’m going to try yours anyway just so I can tell you again how disgusting it is.”

Harry laughs, handing Louis her drink and taking Louis’. Louis’ is bland tea. It’s not bad. It’s not particularly good either. 

Louis on the other hand, has her hand over her mouth, coughing dramatically, a ridiculous thing to do. Because Harry’s drink is great.

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry giggles. “I get it. You like boring drinks. Give it back.”

Louis slides Harry’s drink across the table “That was worse than I thought it would be.” She chugs her own tea, as if she's trying to get the taste out of her mouth.

“No it wasn’t!” There is no way it warrants a coughing fit.

“No, but it was bad enough.” Louis eyes it warily as Harry takes a sip.

Louis turns to the door as Eleanor knocks it open with her side. 

“God, I hate the fucking rain,” she pouts as she shakes her hair out, approaching Harry and Louis’ table.

“Eleanor, you’re late and you weren’t here to tell me not to drink this disgusting drink.” Louis narrows her eyes. 

“I’m early, babe.” She pats Louis on the shoulder before walking off behind the counter. 

“I don’t know your schedule, god.” They flip each other off. “Okay,” Louis turns back to Harry, “do you want to do something tonight?”

“Yeah? Like what?” Not that that has any effect on whether or not Harry will do it with Louis.

“We could grab take away from next door and then come back here,” she responds, playing with her drink, “get Eleanor to make us ridiculous drinks. You've set the standard pretty high, but I don't know, if you want to.”

“I’d love that, please.”

Louis takes her next door. It’s a small takeaway shop and Louis insists on ordering for her, getting two of the same sandwiches and two different pieces of cake.

They come back to Citizen and Louis tells Eleanor to make a latte with every kind of syrup they have. Eleanor almost refuses but Harry tells her that they’ll get to see Louis’ reaction to drinking it and she gives in.

It’s disgusting and Louis makes Harry drink the rest of it after her one sip, supposing that Harry is used to gross stuff just like it. Louis’ reaction is similar to the reaction she had after a sip of Harry’s mocha. Harry drinks it will a milder expression, only getting through half of it before she can't go anymore. 

Harry tells Louis about her sister and the pride centre and the voice lessons she teaches while they chew on their sandwiches.

Louis tells Harry about her mum and talks about the musicals she was involved in during college. It starts off with her telling Harry to convince her that she has experience and deserves the part. Eventually, she gets too into it and Harry knows she's really dedicated and just simply loves the experience of being in all these musicals.

They part after sharing both pieces of cake and Eleanor kicks them out, saying she needs to clean up and close the place.

It's still raining and Louis challenges Harry to a race. Whoever gets to their flat first and texts the other wins.

It's unfair because Louis lives closer but Harry’s still not certain she hasn't cheated when she texts Harry while Harry’s just turning onto her block.

She runs the remainder of the way home anyway, too giddy to slow down after her and Louis’ almost-date.

Harry checks her phone before going to bed, after replaying the entire night for Liam even after she dozes off. 

_ Louis: I’ll give you five kit kats to make me danielle _

_ Harry: I hate kit kats _

_ Louis: I’ll give you a hug _

_ Louis: I will give u two hugs _

Harry thinks she might be in love with this girl.

_ * _

Harry’s typing away on her laptop in the pride centre. It’s Friday and she’s going through her weeks checklist, checking off all her readings that she’s done and dreading the essay she’ll have to start sometime over this weekend. It’s been quiet here all day and she figures she can take a break and grab a book off the case. She’s just passing the first chapter when she hears a knock on the door. “Hi.”

She brightens up.

It’s Louis. 

“Hi, Lou,” she smiles, putting the book down. “What are you doing here?” She twists side to side in her chair as Louis enters the room.

“Boss said I could have the night off, and I remembered you said you’d be here for a bit Friday afternoons.” She looks around the room, touching everything, before settling across from Harry on one of the couches. 

“Are you here about the musical because you got the part.” Harry holds in her smirk.

“What?” Louis’ head snaps up to Harry. “No. What? I did?!” 

“Yes.” Harry says impassively as Louis bounces around on the couch.

“Are you just saying that to get rid of me?”

“Yes.”

“What? I didn’t get the part?” She deflates and Harry immediately feels bad.

“Yes, you did.”

“I did?” Her voice rises and she jumps out the couch, pulling Harry off of her seat.

“You got Danielle,” Harry nods happily.

“I’m Danielle?!” She bounces on her feet. Emily emailed Harry yesterday about the final cast list that she would be putting up on Monday. She wasn’t surprised but still excited to see Louis and Eleanor as the leads. 

Harry gave up on convincing herself not to tell Louis about an hour after she got the email.

“Yes!”

“Yes!” Louis shoves Harry right before pulling her into a hug. “Thank you!”

“Emily had the last say, she really likes you. Now shush and you have to act surprised when the cast list goes up.”

“Yes, ma’am. But I really did just come to see you.” Louis smiles, still bouncing around on her toes and clicking her heels together.

“Did you now?” Harry cocks her head to the side. She gets up putting the book back on the shelf and tidying up the room. Niall takes over watch duty in just over five minutes so she starts packing up her things.

“Mhm, also I haven't been here before and also,” Louis trails off looking at the calendar on the wall, “I was wondering if you wanted to go to Pink tonight with Eleanor and Sophia. And me.” 

Harry pauses. Louis just asked her to go to a gay bar with her. 

“Being a third wheel in my own home is tiring. Even worse in public,” Louis shrugs.

“So this is a date,” Harry chuckles not minding the idea one bit.

“It was supposed to be a bribe to get you to tell me that I got the part. Be nice, buy you drinks, but you ruined it.”

Harry breathes out. “Well, I’ll tell you the rest of the cast for a couple of shots.”

“Deal.”

*

Harry is drunk. 

She told Louis the cast list and told her she better not tell Eleanor she got Sandy. Louis cut her off and yelled at Eleanor that she got the part and then bought Harry another shot. Louis said she would make it up to Harry and tell her a secret in return. She thought on it for ten minutes, shushing Harry every time she spoke before telling her she is wearing black lace knickers.

Now, Louis is resting her eyes and leaning her head against Harry’s shoulder while Harry steals Louis’ beer that was full before Harry touched it. 

Harry taps her foot against Louis’ to the beat of the song playing as Louis hums the melody against her shoulder. Harry doesn’t want to be anywhere else ever again.

Two girls who come to the pride centre regularly approach Harry, leaning against the table. They make small talk all while Louis complains that Harry is too loud and tries to cover her mouth until Harry grabs her hands, holding them in her lap. Once they say goodbye, Louis grabs her drink to find it nearly empty. “Harry, you owe me a dance for stealing my beer,” she pouts, sitting up straight and nearly pushing Harry out of her seat.

“Let’s go if you think you can walk.” Harry promptly trips as she gets out of the booth.

Louis giggles behind her. “At least you have your looks, Haz.” She grabs Harry’s hand dragging her to the middle of the floor, pushing through everyone in their way.

They spend the rest of the night pressed against each other, with Louis randomly grabbing Harry’s hand in one hand and waist on the other and polkaing her around the floor. Harry’s certain they're annoying everyone else grinding around them, but it’s not like she wants them to stop.

Eventually Louis’ movements become slow and she ends up resting her head on Harry's shoulder in the middle of the dance floor, still swaying with the song. 

Harry feels soft with her movements mirroring Louis’. 

“Okay, home time.” Louis says, pushing Harry by her hips to the exit.

“Got an uber coming.” Harry shakes her phone at Louis as they tumble out of the bar before tucking it back in her pocket.

Louis smiles. “Hey, Harry.” She steps in closer, swaying with her head tilted so her eyes face up to the sky.

Harry hums.

“You’re a good dancer.” Louis pokes her stomach. She walks around, swaying now more to the music playing softly on the outside speakers. “Also I’m cold.” She shivers before sticking herself against Harry’s back and burying her head in Harry’s neck.

Harry freezes. Until Louis forces her to move, swaying them both side to side. 

Harry is cold and feels sticky with sweat but none of that matters with Louis’ weight resting in her back.

They get in their uber and Harry’s wide smile doesn’t fade for a second.

“Good night, kiddo,” Louis calls as the cab stops at Harry’s flat. “Come by Citizen tomorrow. I’m working early and you have to suffer the early morning with me.”

She falls asleep giddy and dizzy and happy and excited, because seeing Louis again is only a few hours of sleep away.

*

The rehearsals start off slow and Harry depends entirely on Emily’s instructions because she really doesn't know the first thing about directing a musical. She’s been in plenty of musicals in her younger life but she’s never been behind the scenes.

Emily gives her full control of any rehearsals dedicated to learning the songs. That she can do. It's fun and easy enough because everyone is a hundred percent invested in the show.

Her favourite days are Thursdays though. Eleanor and Louis have rehearsals by themselves, sometimes working on blocking, sometimes their harmonies, and sometimes goofing off entirely. It’s obvious they’re good friends with how well they get on and how well they get on each other’s nerves.

And Harry usually walks with Louis to the cafe after rehearsals are over. Last week she stayed until closing and Louis gave her all the leftover cookies that she ate most of on her way home. 

"Eleanor’s in an exam so Harry’s going to stand in for a bit.” Emily says, walking in with eyes still focused on the notes she’s carrying. 

“Sounds good.” Louis stands up immediately walking to the stage. Harry’s still frozen.

“Okay we’re doing the drive-in scene today, so just grab two chairs.” Louis immediately gets into action, carrying two chairs to the stage while Harry follows behind awkwardly. Louis is off book so Harry is alone with her book in lap as they sit down side by side.

“Okay, Danielle and her ring, start where she’s taking it off.”

Louis is even more distracted with Harry than she is with Eleanor. 

Emily is off talking to the backstage crew and Louis just keeps grabbing Harry’s face and kissing the air not an inch from Harry’s lips. That’s all she’s been doing for the past twenty minutes after putting the ring on Harry’s finger.

It’s probably Harry’s job to actually do the scene but. Louis. 

Eventually Eleanor finds them, giggling together with Louis’ face nearly against Harry’s.

“Been replaced?” Eleanor smiles at them. It’s too smug, Harry decides.

“Yup, get lost.” Louis shoes her off.

“Eleanor!” Emily comes into the room.

“I rushed out as fast as I could, sorry, Emily,” she explains, throwing her bag in the corner and running up on stage.

“S’okay, don’t worry about it. We’re going to run that solo you did yesterday actually. And I want you two to run Louis’ solo for this scene and then we’ll come put a few things together.”

They’re a little more productive after that. Louis knows this scene inside out so they just run it a bunch of times over until Eleanor comes back and they run it again with her.

They finish just after six. Eleanor runs off immediately, says she has to pick up Sophia and Louis is too slow. 

Harry and Louis both hover outside the auditorium doors. Harry’s waiting for Louis to start walking to Citizen so she can follow her but Louis is taking her sweet time, shuffling her feet against the pavement. 

“Haz, um, I have a question,” she turns to face Harry. She’s got on the same denim bomber this time with black gloves that she rubs together for heat. “Could you help me with a couple of the harmonies maybe? I think I need a bit of extra help.”

Harry knows Louis had the majority of her harmonies down before the first day of rehearsals. “Yeah, course.” 

“Thursday is date night for Eleanor and Sophia. Eleanor read it in one of her couples books on how to have the perfect relationship. Anyway, they’re gone or they will be, if you want to come over like right now. I have tonight off.” Louis lifts her shoulders up and down in question.

“Sounds good. I’m ready to go if you are.”

Harry’s smiling all the way up Louis’ flat. This feels like a big deal. One day they’re going to be in this same situation but walking up to their shared flat with a big bath tub and pictures hanging up in their room of their nude couple photo shoot. So this is some kind of starting point, she figures.

Louis opens the door and Harry doesn’t have much time to react to Louis’ flat before she’s being thrown back by a dog. 

“Hello,” she laughs. “Hi there,” she gets out after steadying her stance with the help of Louis’ hand on her back.

“Brucie,” Louis scolds fondly.

“It’s okay, Brucie.” Harry bends down, setting her bag down so she can give the dog all the love he deserves.

“This is Bruce.” Louis follows her down, petting Bruce’s back. “He’s a menace clearly.”

“I didn’t know you had a dog,” Harry says still in her puppy voice.

“Technically he’s Els. She told me about him right after we all agreed to move in together. I should probably take him out actually.”

“I’ll come,” Harry insists. She’s never had a dog. By the time she thought about asking for one she was weeks away from leaving for uni. And her building doesn’t allow for pets. She knows this very well because Liam has called the owners multiple times with a list of why they should rethink the rule.

Louis lights up at the idea, handing Harry Bruce’s leash after she attaches it to his collar.

They only take him a few streets down to the dog park for a couple minutes where Louis takes off his leash. Harry and Louis sit at the edge of the park, watching Bruce run around, playing around with other dogs considerably smaller than him. He listens to Louis when she calls him back, running between Louis’ legs as she tries to get his leash back on him. 

Bruce goes right to his water bowl when they get back into Louis’ flat and Harry finds a seat on the purple couch while Louis makes herself busy in the kitchen. 

“So, I don’t have any fancy coffee machinery here but I made tea, I don't know how you like it but well, here.” Louis sits down next to Harry, handing her a tea cup with fuck written all over it. 

“Thanks Lou.” Harry sips the tea and can already feel her face scrunching up before she can help it.

“Not like that clearly.”

Harry sticks her tongue out a bit.

Louis nails her harmonies. All of them. But they go over them a couple of times with Harry on the small keyboard off to the side of the living room. Louis could be just nervous. Harry won't complain nonetheless. She loves hearing Louis sing. And she loves singing along.

Louis eventually gets up, pulling Harry off the bench, moving the coffee table out of the way, demanding that Harry dances and sings with her. She does. She’d do pretty much anything Louis asked her to.

“You better shape up,” Harry wails. “Cause I need a man. Who can keep me satisfied.” Louis swings Harry around the room pressing her hips against Harry’s when she sings satisfied. 

Harry chuckles and does her best to singing the rest of Eleanor’s part while trying to stifle her laughter.

*

The rest of rehearsals go by in a blur of messy costumes and having to fix harmonies, not Louis’, but by the time the opening night comes around, Harry is confident the show is ready to go on stage. Emily seems like she thinks so too. After dress rehearsal she gives a short speech, telling everyone to do anything that night except look at their scripts. 

Opening night still fills everyone with a bundle of nerves. But no one is missing, neither are any props, and it doesn’t look like anyone is about to be sick.

Louis is running around being her usual annoying self and Harry blames it entirely on her nerves. Eventually Eleanor starts telling her off and gets her to sit down.

After Harry figures no one is going to run out through the back entrance, she finds her seat in front row next to Liam and Sophia. 

The show goes off with minimum hitches. Eleanor and Louis are amazing up there together, playing off each other when either of them need it. The crowd eats up the show, laughing and cheering when appropriate. And it continues throughout the entire week of shows. No one loses their enthusiasm and the nerves eventually settle. 

The final night, the crowd is extra loud and everyone on stage can feel it and Harry can feel the excitement from it buzzing off everyone. Louis even throws an unnecessary amount of tongue into her kiss with Eleanor which the crowd goes wild for. 

Louis is still running off of adrenaline when Harry finds her after the curtains closes. “You did amazing, Lou!” 

Louis knocks her backwards in a tight hug. 

“That went so well.” Louis smiles, flushed and breath quick. She only lets go of Harry when she develops a line of people wanting to congratulate her on the show. 

Harry helps the crew clean up, patting everyone she passes on the back, before Emily shoes them out if they promise to come back tomorrow and finish up.

Harry thanks everyone for a great show before finding Louis changed out of her costume but still in her wig, waiting with Liam near the stage. “You’re done, let’s get drunk!” Louis pulls her hand and drags her all the way to her car.

By the time all three of them get to Louis’ flat the music is already terribly loud and it doesn’t seem like there are many sober people in the room.

Everyone cheers when Louis throws open the door and she emerges herself in the crowd, motioning for Harry and Liam to follow behind her.

It doesn’t take long before someone hands them all alcohol.

Harry eventually loses Louis to the dance floor. She floats around with Liam, introducing her to a couple memorable people. Eventually she loses Liam too and decides to take her chances with the dance floor.

Which is where she finds Louis soon after. She’s lost her wig now but definitely found more alcohol.

“Hazzy, hi,” she giggles, throwing her arms around Harry’s neck.

“Hi, Lou Lou.”

“Mm, love when you call me that.” She smiles with her eyes closed. Harry’s not sure if she’s ever called Louis that before but she makes a decision to do it everyday if it means she gets to see that soft smile. “How’d I do?”

“So, so good.” Harry puts her hands on Louis’ hips, squeezing them for emphasis.

“Let’s dance, you remember when we danced before. We should always be dancing. You and me.”

They dance. Of course.

It’s very similar to the time at Pink except Louis is a little less concerned with annoying people it seems because she drags Harry into nearly everyone in the room. No one seems to mind that much though. They either laugh or ignore her completely. Harry’s nearly out of breath by the time Louis lets her go when someone approaches them to say goodbye to Louis before heading out.

It’s mostly cleared out when Harry find herself on Louis’ bed. She’s trying to make herself move and find Liam but she’s not doing a very good job.

Maybe Louis will find Liam for her. “Louis!” 

Louis bumps into her door frame, smiling bright when she sees Harry. “Harry, love, I thought you left.” She climbs onto the bed sitting next to Harry and patting her hair not very gently.

“I’m here.” Harry flips around so she’s facing Louis. “You did good tonight.”

“Here.” She runs out of the room quickly, bringing Harry back a bottle of water. “You can stay the night, yeah. Sleep, sleep.”

She falls asleep as soon as Louis gets up to turn off the lights. Louis disappears and Harry can hear her say goodbye to the few people left before she comes back in and nearly jumps into her bed next to Harry. 

Louis is a terrible bed mate. She kicks Harry all night while not letting her move since her arms are circled around her. Harry is very uncomfortable and a little drunk but this might be her favourite place.

*

Harry spends most of her December at Citizen with her head in a book and with Louis sneaking her cookies. When she’s not there, she’s at her own flat or Louis’ with Louis beside her and her feet on Harry’s lap while they quiz each other. 

Louis is not the ideal study partner, always distracting Harry with her crinkly eyed smile and trying to convince her to take a nap every other hour. It’s worse when it’s late at night and she’s sleepy and resting her head in Harry’s lap, yawning and cozying her face in Harry’s stomach.

They make it work though.

They both finish with their English exams and Louis is currently over at Harry’s place running through their notes a few more times.

Harry brings in Louis some tea where she’s lounging on Harry’s bed with her notes spread out. They’ve both been at it for hours and Harry knows they know as much as they’re going to know, now they’re just revising.

Louis sits up, taking the cup from Harry and a careful sip of the tea.

“Mm perfect,” she smiles, taking another sip.

Harry flushes. “I just kept trying things until I found the worst tasting combination and figured you’d like it.” Harry settles in next to Louis.

“Oh, shush.” Louis throws her hand over Harry’s face. 

Despite how much of a distraction Louis is, Harry finishes all her exams confident enough.

Then comes the mix of excitement, to see her family, and the dread of being away from everyone, mostly Louis, for a couple of weeks. 

She goes over to Louis’ flat the night before she leaves to go home. Eleanor and Sophia both have finished their exams and are leaving tonight for Sophia’s parents’ home, so Sophia is sober. It’s clear Eleanor and Louis have already been drinking for a decent amount of time and right as Harry walks in the door Eleanor hands her a glass off her newest creation over giving her a proper welcome. “Here, babe.” 

Harry sniffs the glass before taking a sip after determining that it shouldn’t kill her.

“Hi, sober Sally.” Louis attaches herself onto Harry’s back.

“Hi. You,” Harry laughs. She wraps her arms behind her, circling Louis’ waist.

“Nice.” Louis pats her chest before getting out of Harry’s grip and twirling around to face her. “Want your present now?” Louis asks already running into her room, presumably to get Harry’s gift.

Harry brightens at the mention of presents. She follows Louis into her room and the second she sees the gift, Harry already knows what it is even behind the terrible wrapping job. Probably because she got Louis the same thing. 

She takes out Louis’ gift from her bag and Louis lights up immediately.

“Like we’re soulmates or something.” Louis clinks her wrapped gift against Harry’s.

“Or something.” Harry laughs. “Here.” They hand over their gifts and somehow agree to race to see who can open each others mixtape faster but it’s too close to call.

“Thank you.” Louis hugs Harry before looking at the tracks. “Thanks,” she repeats, soft and blushy.

“Thank  _ you. _ ” Harry taps her chest. “Also I got you something for your birthday.” Harry shifts through her bag again, pulling out another wrapped present, waving it at Louis.

Louis gasps “You remembered,” she whispers.

Of course she did. Louis has reminded her everyday since December first.

Louis opens the two books Harry got her. One with Louis and Eleanor on the front in their Grease attire with the scene Harry wrote from Grease and more pictures from the musical inside and the other is a how to book on making your morning tea more interesting. Louis looks like she might cry. “Harry,” she whispers, flipping through the Grease pictures. 

“I know Emily e-mailed them out but I thought a book might be different.” Harry moves her weight side to side.

“I’m going to make all of these recipes for you. Love them, Haz.” She pulls Harry into a tight hug, keeping her there until Eleanor screams at them saying they are leaving and they better get hugs before they go.

They all say goodbye and eventually Sophia starts tugging Eleanor out the door, explaining that she told her parents that they would be there for supper.

Louis and Harry continue drinking Eleanor’s eggnog and vodka concoction while lazily singing Christmas carols on Louis’ couch late into the night. 

Eventually Harry decides to drag herself home so she can finish packing tonight and get a semi-early morning start to her mum’s home tomorrow. 

Louis gives her a wet kiss on the cheek and promises to text her enough that Harry will be ready to block her number. Harry doesn’t think Louis will have any problem keeping that promise since she feels that way daily.

*

Day one of break Harry wakes up with twenty messages from Louis with links to articles on how bad milk is for you. 

Day two brings twenty more messages from Louis that are all pictures of her little siblings decorating the tree.

*

It’s almost Christmas and Harry is drunk. It’s Gemma’s fault entirely. Too much vodka, not enough whatever else was in it.

So she calls Louis.

Despite the fact that Louis kept up her promise and texted Harry incessantly, she does miss her. It doesn’t help that the second Gemma pulled up, she got Harry to replay the past few months and tell her everything about Louis. Harry did so happily but it left her missing Louis as well.

Louis answers softly on the second ring. “Hello?” 

Harry’s mood brightens immediately.

She breathes deeply before she starts singing, “happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Lou Lou! Happy birthday to you!” 

She can hear Louis snickering on the other end. “Wow, a drunk Harry Styles. My birthday wish came true.”

“Do you look old now? You sound old!”

“Yeah, I have grey hair now.”

“You would look good with grey hair.”

Louis makes a surprised noise on the other end. “Course I would.” 

“Are you having a birthday party?” Harry suddenly feels guilty, thinking she could be interrupting something. 

“Nah, all the little ones have gone to bed, just us mature kids, watching shitty Christmas TV,” Louis reassures, “all on our phones.”  

Good, that’s good. “So you can talk to me more? Because I miss you.”

“Aw, Hazzy. I miss you too.”

Harry flushes, sinking into her spot on the couch more comfortably. “You better.”

They talk for another hour or so. Eventually Gemma comes into the living room and sits on the other side of the couch, staying quiet on her phone while Harry yaps away. Louis tells Harry all about her birthday and how happy her little siblings had been to see her. How they all pitched in and bought her ten packages of her favourite tea with a new fancy teapot and a little toy for Bruce as well. 

She can hear Louis’ voice get slower and softer as the night goes on.

“I should let you go. You’re old now, you need more sleep.” Harry feels tired too, her entire body heavy.

“Yeah, yeah, go drink some water. Merry Christmas and all. Maybe I’ll call you tomorrow?” She asks, unsure.

“Please.” Harry perks up at that.

“Good night, love.”

“Good night, pretty.”

Gemma smiles at Harry after she hangs up. “I like her.”

“Me too,” Harry hums. They talk about girls for the rest of the night and eventually decide to sleep on the couch like they used to when they were little. Harry falls asleep happy and soft and missing Louis again already. But she’ll call tomorrow.

*

The new term starts off slow, as to be expected. Harry’s classes are decidedly less exciting than last term but at least her profs aren't terrible. She's already behind on reading but that's not surprising. Harry hasn't been on top of her readings since her first month of her first year.

Harry doesn't have any classes with Louis. Louis is off taking a bunch of first year requirements that's she's put off until now. Louis says it will give her more time to bug Harry which is proving to be true already. She sees her enough without having to sit next to her distracting her during class and it's a perfect excuse to go to Citizen more often which is exactly where she's heading now.

“Styles, your girlfriend’s not here yet.” Harry did not miss Eleanor one bit. And she knows Louis’ schedule, thanks.

“That’s nice, I came here to see you.” Harry smiles wide enough to make sure Eleanor knows that it’s fake. 

Eleanor shakes her head, going back to cleaning off the counter from behind the till. “She’ll be here in an hour.”

“I’ll come back then.” Harry turns.

“What?”

Harry snorts, “‘m kidding.” She skips up to the till. “Could I get a sixteen ounce caramel mocha with coconut milk and pumpkin syrup?”

Eleanor doesn’t even look up at her. “Would you like me add some bread crumbs in there as well?”

“Louis said you eat matcha powder out of the package.”

Eleanor tries her best to hide her smirk. “Yeah, yeah. It’s on the house, go sit down.”

Harry smiles. She did miss Eleanor. Eleanor always gives her free drinks.

Harry finds her usual table, pulling out a book she needs to read for tomorrow. It’s for her favourite class this term on literature by women. She’s never had the prof, but based on the small amount of classes they’ve had so for, Harry’s sure she’ll love her by the end of the term.   

Eleanor comes by with her drink and gives her a hard time again before returning to the till.                 

She gets a good chunk of the book read by the time an hour passes and Louis strolls in with her suede jacket piled over Harry’s favourite blouse she owns. It’s sheer. “Louis!” Harry calls her over. Louis immediately finds her and smiles the entire way up to Harry’s table. “Louis, Eleanor’s making fun of my drink,” Harry pouts.

“Good.” Louis sits in the chair next to her, resting her feet on Harry's lap.

Harry pouts harder.

“I mean, fuck off, Eleanor. Only I can do that.” 

Apparently Eleanor’s been listening to their conversation because she doesn’t miss a beat. “Come here so I can leave please.”

Louis checks her phone. “I don’t work for another twenty minutes so leave me alone until then.” 

Eleanor scoffs and throws a tea bag at Louis’ head. Louis picks it up after it lands on the table and sticks it in her pocket.

Harry smiles, setting down her book. “It’s my birthday in a next week.”

“I know,” Louis nods, playing with Harry’s hair and tucking a few strands behind her ear. “This is the fourth time you’ve told me this week.”

“My sister’s coming and she wants to meet you so whatever inappropriate gift you’ve planned you’ll have to schedule it around her.” Harry pats at Louis’ lower leg.

Louis playfully smacks Harry’s hand that’s now resting on Louis’ leg. “You don’t know me at all.” 

Eleanor knocks Louis’ shoulder with her hip, setting down a mug of hot water. “She bought you honey and a vibrator.” She deadpans before walking off again.

Louis points a finger at Harry.  “I did not but you looked somewhat excited so I’m totally going to get you that.”

*

It’s six in the morning and someone is in her flat. She knows Liam is at the gym and she is certain a murderer wouldn’t make as much noise as whoever is in her flat. 

That means it’s Louis. 

She’s only been up for a minute or so and Louis has already broken her promise of making this Harry’s best birthday ever. Harry had  plans. Plans to sleep in until at least nine. She flips over in her bed and hopes that because they are soulmates, Louis will hear Harry beg for Louis to get the fuck out of her flat. They need to work on their soulmate connection because Louis slams Harry’s door open a second later. “Harry, I brought you cake!”

Harry moans. “I don’t care.”

Louis flips Harry around easily and straddles her thighs, all while balancing a small cake in her other hand. “Open your mouth.”

Harry does. 

Louis spoon feeds cake into her mouth and Harry instantly lifts her mouth in a smile, still chewing on the cake. “Is this caramel mocha flavoured?”

“Mhm,” Louis nods proudly.

“Thanks, Louis. Now get off me.” Harry shakes her legs, trying to get Louis to at least sit off to the side of her bed.

“I got you something,” she says, wiggling in her spot before shifting to kneel right beside Harry’s face. 

Harry sits up slightly, anything for presents. She takes the carefully wrapped gift from Louis’ hand, smiling openly as she unwraps her present.

“It’s a journal.” Louis says very helpfully. It’s beautiful. It reminds Harry of the ones she used to see at her grandparents home. But this one has Harry’s name engraved on the front. “I just see you journal alot, all the time really and I noticed your current one now is almost full. You might have more, I don’t know. Can’t ever have too many journals, right? So, yeah.” She flicks her hand to the one of Harry’s that’s holding the journal.

“Louis, it’s beautiful,” Harry says, still flipping through the pages. They are unlined just like all of Harry’s journals. Harry hands Louis the journal and tells her to write a little inscription in it at the front.

After Louis signs the book, Harry places it on her dresser and tells Louis she is determined to stay in bed until Gemma gets there so they spend a few more hours on Harry’s bed, dozing off and then taking out some books to read.

Nine comes around and Harry rushes at the sound of the buzzer, hovering at the door until Gemma piles through it and right into Harry’s arms. 

“Happy birthday!” 

“Hello, hello.” Harry spins her around. She stops when she sees Louis over her shoulder still standing in the doorway of her room. “This,” Harry angles Gemma to face Louis, “is Louis.”

Gemma and Louis get on smashingly, bonding over making fun of Harry’s drink and their love of black tea. 

They spend the rest of the morning together making a full english breakfast until Louis begs off to work. Gemma and Louis exchange numbers before saying goodbye and Harry warns Gemma that nothing good will come out of Louis having her number. Louis chuckles while pulling them both into a hug before a short wave and she’s off.

“Okay, I really like her,” Gemma pulls Harry into a sideways hug.

They find a small restaurant a few blocks away from Harry’s flat that they spend the remainder of their time together at. Gemma ribs Harry about Louis for the majority of the time. Harry’s only able to turn the conversation on her for no longer than five minutes until Gemma steers it back.

They part right from the restaurant, Gemma heading back to the train station and Harry heading back to her flat. Gemma promises to come visit over summer if Harry promises to bring Louis back with her for a few days. Harry tells Gemma she’ll see what she can do.

*

“My hair’s not going to fall off is it?” 

“Not likely,” Louis hums.

“What?” Harry jerks her head, trying to face Louis.

“I’m kidding, god. Your hair will live.”

Harry has it bad for this girl because she somehow let Louis convince her that dying her hair would be a good idea. It’s only the tips of her hair. Blue tips. Louis said it would look nice.

Louis’ pulling her hair every which way when Eleanor walks through the door. Harry and Louis both greet her without turning their heads. “Hey,” She says dropping her bag before coming behind Harry. “Oh my god, what did you do to her hair?”

“What?” Harry snaps her head causing Louis to pull her hair. “Ow, fuck.” 

“She’s joking,” Louis pats at the hair she pulled, “now stay still, grumpy Grace.”

“I’m joking.” Eleanor pats Harry’s knee. “It’s beautiful, I love it. Do you want me to put the kettle on?”

“Yes please,” Louis sings. “Thanks, Els. Okay, half an hour and we can wash this out.”

“Yay.” She smile, turning around on her stool to face Louis. “What now?” Harry asks, smiling bright.

“My turn.” Louis cleans off the counter, taking out what she needs to do her own hair. “You sit tight. Could you turn on some music actually?”

Harry plugs her phone into Louis’ speakers playing her newest playlist before returning to the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the tub. She watches Louis dye her hair, only going over the faded blush with a richer pink. Louis doesn’t let Harry touch her hair. She’s very particular, apparently and very concentrated. She keeps her lip tucked under her top teeth while trying to sing along with Harry’s music at the same time.

Louis gives Harry the full treatment when her hair’s done. Blow drying it and all. 

“Do you like it? I do, you look nice. You should tell Eleanor how good of a job I did. She won’t let me touch her hair.”

“I love it. You’re the best. Eleanor doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

“Okay, my turn.” She pushes Harry out of the way from the shower and sticks her head under the water only enough to get her hair wet.

After Louis’ done, she leaves it wet and grabs her tea and school work and drags Harry into her room where they lounge on her bed, reading their own books and making short conversation for the the rest of the night.

She spends most nights just like this with Louis on someone’s bed. Usually Louis’ unless she gets too loud and Eleanor kicks them out, telling them to go bug Liam instead. Louis doesn’t like Harry and Liams’ kettle, as if that’s the make or break factor for going over to Harry’s flat. She said she’ll drag her own over before using that kettle. Which she has done before. It drives Liam wild because it’s too much clutter or something. 

Most nights are quiet though and they rest on Louis’ bed and sometimes when they both pretend they have no work to get done they’ll just cover themselves in Louis’ blanket and whisper to each other everything that they can think of.

*

“Haz, my feet are cold,” Louis whines from under two blankets with her feet tucked under Harry’s legs.

It’s Saturday night and Harry probably has a hundred and one readings that she could be doing, probably a few essays too. But she’s at Louis’ place. She’s been at Louis’ place since she finished her last lesson today and they’ve spent the majority of the time dozing off on Louis’ couch.

Eleanor and Sophia are both out of the flat so there’s no one there to bug them, allowing Louis to whine as much as she pleases.

“Put on some socks and get them away from me,” Harry grumbles. 

“Hazzy, can you find me some socks?” Louis pokes Harry with her foot, putting on her signature soft smile that could get Harry to do just about anything.

“Fine, god. You have to move then.” Harry pushes Louis’ feet away and goes to find her her fucking socks. 

“Thanks, I love you.” Louis smacks her butt.

Louis better fucking love her if she’s going searching through her sock drawer.

Harry finds the drawer easily enough. Harry debates between the ones with a unicorn and a little girl that says ‘I hate everyone too’ or the fuzzy rainbow socks. But Harry takes them both. The unicorn ones for herself and the fuzzy ones to warm Louis’ feet.

Louis smiles when Harry throws them at her. “My favourites.” She pulls them up on her feet. Harry watches while she wiggles her toes once before snuggling them under Harry again.

They stay like that, with the TV on low and random whispers between them, until Eleanor and Sophia get home from the library. Louis has been yawning sporadically for the past hour and Harry decides she should probably do at least one thing productive tonight and let Louis sleep.

She walks home thinking about Louis’ socks still on her feet. Harry decides she’s probably not going to give them back. It’s okay though because eventually Louis and her will live together and share a sock drawer and share socks. It crosses her mind that she’s kind of in love with Louis and decides maybe she should do something about it.

She gets in bed and right before she falls asleep, Louis texts her.

_ Good night hazzy. _

*

_ You can do it. _

_ Your name is Harry Styles and you're in love with Louis Tomlinson. _   


Harry repeats it like a mantra.

Harry loves Louis and she is going to tell Louis. Tonight. That she loves her. In a gay way. In a marriage way as well.

Liam thinks it’s a fucking great idea. She said, “it’s time you two got your heads out of your arses and got married,” right before she shoved the door in Harry’s face.

So, she’s ready.

She nearly races out of class as soon as they're dismissed. She holds herself back from skipping all the way to Louis’ place. 

Eleanor and Sophia are still in class and Louis works at four so she has three and a half hours to confess her love minus the traveling time. It's doable. Unless Louis is her usually annoying self and distracts her.

“What's the password?” Louis asks when Harry gets to Louis’ building.

“It's cold let me in.” Harry bounces up and down with her hands tucked into the pockets of her sweater.

She hears Louis snicker. “No. Louis Tomlinson is the best and I love her.” 

“Fuck Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis buzzes her in. 

She runs up the stairs, opening the unlocked door and greeting Bruce before finding Louis.

“You look comfy,” Louis says instead of a proper hello. Harry’s wearing about five sweaters, so comfy isn’t a word she would go for but she didn’t freeze her arse off on the way here so, success. She pulls off a few layers, flinging them on the coat rack and then following Louis into the kitchen where a mess of groceries sit.

Apparently Louis really wants some cookies. And homemade cookies are the only way to satisfy her sudden need. 

So they bake some fucking cookies. It's nearly hour two and all Harry has to show is cookie dough, quite good cookie dough, and flour in her hair.

“Chocolate chips and then we’re done,” Harry grabs the chocolate from the bag of ingredients that Louis picked up and finds the scissors to cut the bag open.

“Then cuddle and Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” Louis comes up behind Harry shaking her shoulders so that she hits both of Harry’s. It’s very distracting and Harry dumps the entire bag in without a thought.

“Yes, yes,” Harry smiles, quickly mixing the dough and then holding a spoon of it out for Louis to taste.

“‘S good,” she hums, grabbing a clean spoon to take some more.

Harry finishes up and sticks the pan in the oven before following Louis to the couch. She’s already set up the recorder and presses play the second Harry’s on the couch. 

The timer goes off in the first commercial break and Harry runs to grab the cookies as Louis yells at her to hurry up.

She stuffs one in her mouth and brings a plate over dropping it on Louis’ lap. They are fucking good cookies. They finish the entire plate during the episode and Louis pouts when she goes for another.

Tell her.

Tell her tight now.

“Hey, Louis.” Harry shuffles from her position tucked in against Louis to face her.

“Yes, I would love another cookie.” She opens her mouth waiting.

Harry scoffs, getting up to fill the plate with the remaining cookies on the cooling rack and throwing one in the general direction of Louis’ mouth as she sits down again.

“Louis,” she tries again. 

Louis presses a cookie to her mouth and Harry closes her eyes, eating the cookie. This isn’t going well. The next hours doesn’t go any better. Louis is all over the place, playing fetch with Bruce with one of Eleanor’s shoes and hiding Sophia's laptop under their couch, and now she’s getting ready for work.

“Want to come bug me at work tonight?” Louis flits through the flat, slowly picking up what she needs for work and also cleaning a tad as she does it.

“Sure, um.” Harry stands. “I love you.” Fuck, fuck, she did it and it was fucking awkward but that’s okay. She can’t totally breathe properly but it’s done and now maybe Louis and her will get married.

“I love you too, Haz.” That is nice. That is-- not what she meant. At all. Louis walks back into her bedroom. 

“No-”

“Have you seen-”

“I’m in love with you,” she says louder. “Like a crush. I have a crush on you. I want to marry you.” Harry closes her eyes.

“You’re what?”

Harry’s eyes are still closed. She should open them.

She does and the first thing she sees is Louis peeking her head out of her room. Harry doesn’t see any negative emotions on Louis’ face, but she’s a drama major.

“Nothing.”

“You? Love? You are?”

Harry whines, “Yes.”

She sees Louis smile. But it’s more like a smirk. But it’s good and Harry breathes out. “You want to kiss me?” Louis begins walking closer, moving her hips way too much.

“Yes.” God, her cheeks are flaming. Louis is the worst. She’s the worst and Harry loves her.

“You want to marry me?”

“Yes.”

“You love me?”

“Yes.” This annoying, silly girl.

“In love?” Louis goes to tap Harry’s stomach but Harry catches her fingers and grabs Louis’ hands in hers.

“What are you not getting about this? Yes, I’m in love with you.” Harry plays with her hands, pulling her closer.

Harry pulls them both down on the couch so Louis is straddling her lap, Louis starts humming ‘ You Are the One That I Want’ in Harry’s ear . “Kind of had a crush on you since you ordered your weird drink the first time.” Harry’s mouth aches with the smile splitting across her face. Louis has a crush on Harry and has since Harry has had a crush on Louis. She doesn’t know why she’s surprised since they’re soulmates.

“Well, I had a crush on you since I walked in the door and saw you dancing behind the till.”

“I had a crush on you since I saw you in the window before you walked in.”

Harry grabs at Louis’ waist making her twitch in Harry’s lap. “You already said your piece, you lose.”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

Oh God.

“No, I’m going-” Louis gently pulls her in by the collar of her shirt, smiling before pressing their lips together. Harry melts when Louis opens her mouth on Harry’s. It only lasts a moment before Louis pulls back.

“Guess I’m kind of in love with you,” she whispers with her forehead against Harry’s and her hands somewhere in her hair. 

“You guess?” Harry kisses her again.

Louis nods making Harry laugh.

“So,” Harry whispers, “should we have sex now?”

Louis gasps. “No! You have to take me on a fucking date before I take off my pants.” She giggles kissing Harry again. “And I have to go to work so let me go and stop being so distracting.”

“I’m distracting?” Harry asks, following Louis off the couch.

“You fucking know you are.” Louis shakes her head, pressing her lips against Harry’s again.

*

Louis takes dates very seriously.

_ I’m here. _

Harry texts Louis.

_ Pick me up at my door like a proper date. _

Louis responds and the doors already buzzing by the time Harry makes it there.

Of course it’s Eleanor that meets her at the door to their flat. “Hi.” Eleanor smiles, looking Harry up and down. She might be over dressed but Eleanor doesn’t say anything. She came to impress. “Come in.”

“She’s not ready is she?” 

“Louis hurry up, your date’s going to leave without you!” Eleanor shouts, turning her head over her shoulder.

“Hi Harry!” Louis calls. “Don’t fucking leave!”

Eleanor shushes Harry before she can respond. She reaches behind Harry and open and slams the door. “Oh, she’s gone.”

“What?” Louis pokes her head out of her room with a frown that quickly fixes into a crinkled smile when she sees Harry. “Hi.” She pulls her shoes on. “Hi, you’re here. You look good. I’m ready, let’s go.” She walks back into her room, grabbing her bag. “Are you ready?” She comes out looking just as dressed up as Harry with her slip dress over that same green long sleeve shirt with the mock neck. 

They smile at each other while Harry nods.

“God, you’re embarrassing.” Eleanor says, walking toward the couch.

“You’re annoying, bye.” Louis grabs Harry’s hand pulling her towards the door. They both try to fix their awkward grip in the process, both laughing when they get it right.

“Goodbye,” Eleanor calls after them. “Have fun, don’t talk about exes, don’t bring up that thing with your vagina, and share desert!”

Louis flips her off. “Fuck off, my vagina is great. She’s joking. Let’s go.”

“We were waxing each other and we burnt her vagina and it didn’t heal well.”

“It healed fine.” Louis says pushing Harry out the door.

“I’m sure I’ll love your vagina,” Harry laughs, waving at Eleanor. 

“Fuck off.” She shoves her shoulder into Harry’s as they start off down the hall with their hands still intertwined. Louis pulls out her phone with her other hand, smiling at the screen.

“Hm?”

Louis tilts her head to Harry, smiling up at her like she can’t help it. “Eleanor says we looked happy and to have fun.”

“I am happy.”

“Me too,” she squeezes Harry’s hand. “Now, let’s go fall in love some more.” 

Harry smiles all the way down and into her car.

“Now, where are you taking me, Ms. Styles?” Louis asks once they get on the road.

“I don’t know, Gemma told me about this place she likes. She used to take all the boys there.” Harry talked to Gemma for hours after she told Louis she loved her. Gemma used that time to, again, convince her to ask Louis to stay with them over the summer and plan for their date. Gemma apparently came here once a few years ago and told Harry it was the perfect date venue.

Louis laughs, playing with the radio. “I’m really excited. Never been this excited for a date before.”

“Ah,” Harry cuts her off, “what did Els say about exes?” Harry raises her eyebrows.

Louis breathes out, zipping her mouth shut.

“I’m excited too,” Harry blushes.

“Good. I’m a treat.”

“I know.”

Louis smiles, grabbing her hand again.

The restaurant is gorgeous, Gemma was right, of course. It’s small and quiet with beautiful decorations and soft music playing in the background.

Louis seems to like it too. She hasn’t stopped smiling while taking off her coat and taking in the place around them. They are led to the table next to the window that overlooks the quiet street. Gemma had made it very clear how important it was to request this specific spot. Harry would have gone to a booth over it, but she trusts Gemma.

“I like it,” Louis says after sitting down, bouncing on her hands that she has tucked under her thighs.

Harry picks up the menu, thanking the hostess. “Food could be shit.”

“Company’s what counts.” 

Harry looks up finding Louis’ lip pulled in by her teeth with a hint of a smirk. “Yeah, okay, sap,” she says, flushing.

“Bitch,” Louis scoffs, knocking her menu into Harry’s. “Say something nice.”

Harry laughs. “I love and want to marry you.”

Louis smiles bright before sticking her head in her back in menu. 

“So do you order embarrassing stuff everywhere you go?” Louis asks with her eyes still skimming the menu, trying to stifle a laugh.

Harry doesn’t order something embarrassing, even though she does think about doing it just for Louis. Louis, however, orders a bottle of wine for herself, telling the server she won’t need a glass. The server brings one, just in case, and Louis only takes three sips before using the glass after she nearly spills all over herself.

Harry’s having a good time. Louis’ cheeks are pink and her feet keep knocking into Harry’s. She knocks them especially hard after Harry asks if it’s hard to play footsie when her feet never touch the floor. 

But they make it work. Harry rests her feet on the bar on Louis’ stool and Louis rests her feet on top of Harry’s.

Harry was a little nervous about awkward silences. Of course she was worried for no reason. Louis doesn’t know how to shut up anyway. Louis is her loud usual self and they are both probably annoying every person in the room. But it’s their first date, they have plenty of time to be a boring middle aged couple. 

They share desert, as per Eleanor’s suggestion. Harry tries to be romantic and feed it to Louis, but Louis ends up laughing more and making a mess of the cake. 

“I had a good time, is that cool to say?” Louis chuckles, playing with her bag’s handle once they both get back into Harry’s car. She’s a little flushed by the wine. 

“Yeah?” Harry lifts her eyebrows. “Do I get a second date?”

“Hmm,” Louis looks over at Harry, “depends how the sex is. I told your roommate to get lost tonight.”

“You did?” Harry doesn’t doubt her for a second.

“Yup.” 

“Well, let’s go then.” Harry starts the car with her hands slightly shaking.

Of course they hit every red light possible on the way to Harry’s flat. And Louis laughs every time they do. She starts flipping through the random mix CD in the car and settles on ‘If I Believe You’ and starts screaming the lyrics. More like starts screaming random sounds because the only lyrics she knows is ‘I’m a lesbian kiss’ and she shouts that one right in Harry’s ear before smacking her lips on the corner of Harry’s.

Harry laughs too much to sing along.

They pull up to Harry’s building before Louis starts hurting Harry’s ears. It's dark out now and everyone seems to be pulling out of the parking lot as Harry and Louis pull in.

Harry gets out of the car, hopping to the ground and doing everything not to run inside and up the stairs.

“Wait,” Louis calls. Harry turns around to see her a couple steps behind, smiling with her entire face. “Wait,” she says softer.

“What?”

Louis catches up to Harry. “Hold my fucking hand.”

Louis pulls Harry into a skip and they stay that way until they reach Harry's door. Like Louis said, Liam is nowhere to be seen.

Louis runs to Harry’s room and turns on the speakers immediately and Justin Bieber’s version of ‘Love Me’ starts blaring through the flat. “I know it's not the same version as the one in R and J but I’ve always wanted to fuck to this song.”

Harry practically cackles at that.“Fuck you.” She moves over to Louis, trying to take off her and Louis’ clothes at the same time before pushing Louis on her bed.

“Please.”

*

“Fuck.”

Fuck. 

“Fuck.” Harry's dead. “Oh my god.” Louis killed her.

Louis’ giggling and mouthing at Harry's thigh.

“Oh my fucking god.” She’s going to marry this girl. Harry stuffs her face in her pillow. “Love you so fucking much,” she breathes. “Even after you've murdered me.” She tries to slow down her breath. “Give me a second.” Louis nods against her thigh. She starts humming ABBA. “Marry me. Oh my god.”

*

“It’s our week anniversary,” Louis says appearing at Harry’s door Monday afternoon with takeout, three bags of chips, and a bottle of wine. 

Harry smiles bright, “you’re ridiculous.” 

Harry grabs a blanket from the closet, spreading it out on the living room floor and throwing all the food on top of it before grabbing two mugs and following Louis to the ground.

“Okay, what do we have here?” Harry presses up against Louis’ back with her legs hugging outside of Louis’, looking around at the food.

Louis pours Harry a generous amount of wine into her cup. As in, she fills it to the brim so Harry has to take a sip before moving the mug anywhere. 

They sit, content to just listen to the music on Louis’ phone while trying to eat with Harry’s front still pressed on Louis’ back. But they make it work and when Louis turns slightly in Harry’s lap her cheeks are subtly pink. Harry reaches out to press her thumb on Louis’ cheek until her dimples appear.

Louis tells her about the play she's in this term and how unfortunate it is to not have Harry there to whip the cast into shape. Not that Harry would be as useful with a play.

Louis also tells her about the new employee at Citizen and how Louis got them to make Harry’s mocha during training.

Gradually, they both grow silent and Harry plays gently with Louis’ hair, braiding and unbraiding it all while Louis feeds both of them.

“Louis,” Harry eventually starts.

She hums with her mouth full.

“Seeing as it’s been a week and it’s getting pretty serious and all,” Louis snorts but Harry just jostles her shoulder and continues, “I was just wondering if you want to come over to my mum’s over summer?

“You want me to meet your family?” Louis shrugs out of Harry's arms to face her straight on.

“If you want to, yeah. You probably want to see your family, so you might not have time. But just for a few days, I don’t know.”

“Harry, yes! Yes and you can come see mine to, if you want.” Harry is already nodding. “Mum’s been dying to meet you and yeah, yeah we should do that.”   


They nod their heads in sync with each other, smiling as Harry presses a short kiss on Louis’ mouth.

*

Harry loves Louis.

So much so that she’s on her way over to Louis’ place in skimpy fucking lingerie, for her girlfriend, that she loves very much. 

It’s Eleanor and Sophia’s date night which also makes it Louis and Harry’s date night. Eleanor and Sophia go out, Louis and Harry stay in. Or visa versa. 

“Hi, come in!” Eleanor open the door bringing Harry inside. “Louis is still in class.” Harry knows that. Louis has a night class on Thursdays. But she was a little eager and got ready right after her last class and then wasted a few hours doing her hair. And then she was done with being in her flat.

“That’s okay, I’m good to wait. You two can head out.”

“Okay, we should be home after twelve.” Eleanor grabs her bag as Sophia comes out of their room, greeting Harry quickly before they both head out.

“Have fun!”

Harry nearly runs into Louis’ room as soon as the door closes behind them. Okay, she has no idea what she’s doing. 

Louis said to be at her place at seven and wear something sexy. Those two things are done. 

Now what.

She takes off her clothes, figuring that’s a good place to start. She starts pacing the room, figuring she could afford to pick up a book until Louis gets here but she only keeps pacing.

She hears Louis come in and fuck, she’s nervous.

It’s Louis, she tells herself, trying to calm her maddening pulse.

She sits on the bed, deciding she doesn't need Louis to see her pacing. Louis needs to see her looking sexy.

Harry’s giggling with excitement by the time Louis opens the door.

Louis’ face lights up. “What the fuck?” She looks toward her hand. Fuck, she’s on the phone.

“Hi.”

She takes her phone away from her ear. “Um hi. Hi.” This is good. “Mum I have to go,” she says back into the phone, “I’ll call you later.” She hangs up, tossing her phone on her desk. “Hi.” She laughs. “Fuck, I love you.” She shakes her head, pushing Harry back onto the bed.

*

“Morning Sleepy.” Louis mouths at the corner of Harry’s lips until she turns her face toward Louis. “Yum.”

“Had a dream we had sex on a banana,” Harry mumbles, dropping her head onto Louis’ shoulder.

“What?!” Louis snickers into Harry's hair.

Harry simply nods. She wants to do this every day. Wake up with Louis’ legs tangled in her own. Wake up to Louis’ teasing and soft smile.

Louis strokes her hair and both of them fall in and out sleep until eventually Louis sit up in her bed and pulls Harry up next to her. “Do you want to go for brunch?”

Harry hums, “yeah, I’d like that.”

Louis nods. “Let me have a cup of tea first, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Louis and her tea.

Louis hops out of bed, causing Harry’s upper body to fall over to where Louis was just sitting. “Can you turn on the kettle, need the toilet.”

“Mhm.” Harry nods against the sheets. She jolts herself up and kisses Louis a few times before skipping out of the room and putting the kettle on a burner. She grabs a glass of water for herself before Louis skips over to the kitchen. 

“I grabbed you a coat.” Louis throws it at her.

“Love you. Let me make your tea.”

“Course, let me watch you fuck it up,” Louis’ snickers, hopping up onto the counter next to where Harry’s standing.

“Rude.”

Harry doesn’t fuck it up. She makes it perfectly. Louis even tells her so.

“Guess I will keep you around,” Louis breathes out, pulling Harry closer by her hips. 

“You guess?”

Louis hums with her lips against Harry’s.

Harry slips her hands under Louis’ T-shirt, that is actually Harry’s own, and grabs at her waist until Louis nearly falls off the counter.

Eleanor appears with her hair in a messy bun and on oversized T-shirt. “You two are fucking annoying. It’s seven in the morning.”

“Nice arse,” Louis smiles, clinging her arms around Harry's neck.

“Shut up.” She grabs Louis’ cup of tea and a cup of coffee before going back to her room. Then coming out again for some almond milk. “Shut up”.

Louis pulls on Harry neck until she faces Louis again. “Pleasant, isn’t she?”

“I didn’t mean to make so much noise,” Harry whispers.

“They’re up at six every morning, she’s always like that until she has caffeine.”

“Okay, let’s go anyway.”

They pick up croissants and cookies and other pastries unsuitable for seven in the morning and head to Harry’s place, falling into bed after spreading a towel down to dump their treats on. Louis is laughing lightly to herself and Harry has no idea why but she smiles with her.

“Feed me a croissant,” Louis rests her head in Harry's lap. 

Harry shakes her head but picks up a croissant anyway, dropping small pieces in Louis’ open mouth. Remarkably, she catches most of them. Only missing when Harry drops four at a time.

They both take out their work for school. Louis starts reading a textbook and Harry gets to work on one of her essays, still throwing food at each other haphazardly. 

Louis eventually reaches out at their pile of food and isn't able to grab anything since they've eaten everything already. “Did you take the last cookie?!” Louis frowns at Harry who’s trying to chew as fast as possible.

Louis flips Harry over. “Give me the cookie.”

Harry shakes her head, the cookie not allowing her to speak. She’s stifling her laugh, determined to keep it all in her mouth despite Louis’ need for crumbs to be everywhere.

Louis tries to put her mouth over Harry’s but Harry turns on the bed before she can. She swallows a couple of times before allowing Louis to turn her over and opens her empty mouth in Louis’ face.

“You owe me a cookie,” Louis smirks before pressing her mouth over Harry’s.

*

They both finish their finals on the last possible day. Harry listened while Louis complained how everyone else already started their summer and they were stuck here but Harry was secretly thrilled about it since it meant she got more time with Louis before they would leave to their own homes for summer.

But today is the day and Harry is going home.

They both finished their exams in the morning and then Louis came over to Harry’s flat right after where she had to watch Harry pack up a few things left around.

Now they're on Harry’s bed with a single blanket out over top of it.

Harry plays with Louis’ bangs, moving them out of her face. “Let’s never leave here.”

“Never,” Louis whispers.

Harry pouts.

“I’m coming to visit you in two weeks, babe,” Louis says, tracing shapes on Harry’s bare back with her T-shirt tucked as far as it can go up.

“Two entire weeks.”

“Two weeks of phone sex.”

“Two weeks of no sex sex”

“Two weeks of getting to see your family and warning them about me and getting tired of them before I get there.”

Harry laughs. She's warned her mum plenty about Louis. But she seems almost as excited about meeting Louis as Harry is of her coming to visit. 

They'll both go home for two weeks and then Louis will take the train to Cheshire for two weeks and then, together, they will take it back to Doncaster for another two weeks and then they’ll see how annoyed they are with each other before thinking about the rest of the summer.

“Let's go for a walk before you go, okay?”

“Mhm.”

They take a walk around the empty campus with their hands gripping each other's as tight as they can.

*

Two weeks. 

Two weeks of phone sex that consists of a week of awkward whispers of “what the fuck do we do now” and a week of beautiful phone sex that usually happens twice a day if they're lucky. After they get off on a specifically beautiful day, Louis calls them phone sex experts before falling asleep on Harry.

Two weeks of her mum’s constant questions about Louis. Most involve ways to insure she's comfortable when she comes to stay, what kind of food she likes, questions to avoid. Harry does her best to reassure her mum Louis will eat absolutely anything and will deflect any questions she's doesn't feel comfortable with.

Two weeks of Harry trying to wake up earlier than Louis so that she will be the first one to text Louis in the morning. She’s beaten Louis ten out of the fourteen days. Today, Louis beat her but only because she had to be up extra early to catch her train, so it doesn’t count.

And if means that she’s on her way to see Harry then she doesn’t mind much.

Harry’s bouncing on the balls of her feet at the train station. The train is two minutes late and it's’ probably Louis’ fault.

When it finally does arrive Louis is the first off the train, finding Harry straight away and making a run for her. 

Harry stumbles back after Louis jumps into her arms. “I won today.” Louis leans back in her arms and Harry has to work a little harder to balance both of them.

“You did.” Harry tries to say, finding it difficult through her still widening smile. “I still get ten orgasms tonight. You only get four.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Louis finally presses her lips against Harry’s. It’s not their best kiss. They both start laughing right when their mouths touch. “Hi,” Louis says, setting her feet on the ground. “Love you.”

“Love you. Love you. Love you.”

“Okay, let’s go meet the fam.” Louis secures her bag on her shoulder. “Then orgasms.”

The drive to Harry’s house goes by quickly with Louis in the passenger seat, animatedly telling Harry about her past two weeks, how she showed her siblings the pictures from the musical. Louis tells her they flipped through the book Harry made her nearly everyday, pointing to a different picture and asking Louis to sing the song she did during the scene in the picture.

“I missed you. We should stop somewhere for tea so I can make fun of you some.”

They do. 

Harry takes Louis to the cafe her and Gemma went to too often when Gemma got her first part time job. Citizen always reminds her of the shop and it seems the perfect place to take Louis.

Louis doesn't make fun of her much when she gets her drink, just smiles fondly.

She only starts showing her nerves minutes before pulling into Harry's driveway when she starts asking Harry about her mum and what kinds of things she should talk to her about.

Harry tells her not to worry. Anne won't let the conversation off Louis for very long and Harry's already filled her in on plenty about Louis to keep flow of discussion for an entire summer.

That seems to calm her down and when she does meet  Anne and Robin for the first time, it takes less than a minute to warm up. Dinner is filled with calm smiles and Anne brings up the musical, telling Louis she's seen all the pictures and Harry even sent her a video recording of it and thinks they couldn't have cast a better Danielle.

After clean up and too many attempts of embarrassing Harry on both Louis and Anne's part, Harry drags Louis to her bedroom.

“Is this where you had sex while watching Romeo and Juliet?” Louis sits on the edge of the bed.

“No, we don’t talk about that.”

She hums taking in the room. “Orgasms now?”

“Orgasms now,” Harry says already undressing and taking off her shoes.

“Are those my socks?” Louis walks over to Harry.

Harry looks down at feet before climbing onto her bed and hiding her feet and Louis’ unicorn socks under the covers.

“Did you steal my fucking socks?” Louis climbs in after her, snuggling between her legs before hooking her arms under Harry’s thighs and lifting them up so she can see Harry’s feet. “You got a crush on me, don't you?”

“Something like that,” Harry gasps out while Louis’ pulls off her skirt and pants in one motion.

*

Harry feels a cold breeze over her face.

She scrunched up her nose before opening her eyes. Louis is directly above her with her lips pursed and a hint of a smirk. “Morning.” Her mouth opens in a smile.

“What?” Harry shifts.

Louis says nothing just kisses her before lowering herself in Harry's body and snuggling her face into Harry's neck.

“What time is it?” Harry groans. They went to bed after one last night after a decent try of ten orgasms but falling asleep somewhere between Harry's fourth and fifth. 

“Six. Don't fall asleep.” Louis wiggles in her spot. A clear threat that she'll just wake Harry up again if she were to fall asleep.

“Is it Sunday? Why am I awake?” Harry was looking forward to not having to wake up early to text Louis now that she'd be waking up with her. 

“I was bored.”

“Then go to sleep. Oh my god.” 

“You are grumpy this morning.” Louis pokes her in the chest.

Harry grabs her hand, stopping her movement and putting a single finger against her lips. “No, no.”

“You're also pretty this morning.”

Harry smiles. “‘M always pretty,” she mumbles.

“That's true.”

“Okay, annoying Andy. It's summer and Sunday and it's sleep time.” Harry reaches up to gently close Louis’ eyelids.

Louis breathes out, hugging Harry closer. “Will you still marry me even though I need your attention at six in the morning?”

“Probably.”

“Good, can I give you your six orgasms now?”

Harry groans, “in an hour.”

“Okay,” Louis giggles into Harry's mouth.

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
